Blood collection equipment



R. c. REIMANN ETAL 3,006,342

BLOOD COLLECTION EQUIPMENT Filed June 20, 1958 Oct. 31, 1961 By 94% M ATTORNEYS United States Patent M 3,006,342 BLOOD COLLECTION EQUIPMENT Robert C. Reimann, Morton Grove, and Henry E. Metz, Glenview, 111., assignors to Baxter Laboratories, Inc., Morton Grove, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 20, 1958, Ser. No. 743,334 2 Claims. (Cl. 128214) This invention relates to blood collection equipment and, more particularly, to an item of equipment that is immediately available for blood collection purposes and thereafter can be immediately stored in a compact form to preserve the collected blood.

Although a discrete amount of time is always required in the collection of blood from a human donor, presently a considerably longer period of time is involved in each collection because of the various preparations required prior to collection and the various operations necessary after the collection and before storage. These additional operations are costly since they require the attention of trained personnel such as surgeons or nurses, they require additional equipment, and the manipulations after collection mean that time is lost between the time the last blood is collected and the time the blood is placed under refrigeration. Even under refrigeration, whole blood can only be maintained without undue hemolysis for a period of a few weeks. Hemolysis is retarded at lower temperatures so any improvement that decreases the time between collection and storage is considered desirable.

A general object of this invention is to provide novel blood collection and storage equipment. Another object is to provide blood collection and storage equipment which is readily available for use and after use is in a form suitable for immediate storage under refrigeration. Still another object is to provide blood collection equipment which is presented in a unitary package. Yet another object is to provide blood collection equipment employing a collection set directly connected to the storage container and embodying a valve of advantageous construction. Other objects and advantages of this invention can be seen as this specification proceeds. This invention will be explained in conjunction with an illustrated embodiment in the accompanying drawing in which FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a unitary package including blood collection equipment constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus seen in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

In the illustration given, the numeral designates generally a container which has generally the configuration of a cube and is equipped with a top flap 11. It is possible to use paperboard or other inexpensive disposable material for the material of construction of container 10. Container 10 has slidingly inserted therein a second container 12, which is equipped with a recessed top chamber generally designated 13. The recessed chamber 13 of inner container 12 is equipped with a central slot 14 through which the inlet and outlet fittings 15 and 16 of a cubical plastic bag 17 extend. The bag 17 can be seen best in a fragmentary elevation in FIG- URE 3. The inner container 13 also supports serology tubes 18 and 19 along the sides thereof. A more detailed description of the foregoing structure can be seen in the co-owned, copending application of Theodore H. Gewecke, et al., Serial No. 721,450, filed March 4, 1958, and reference is hereby made to that application.

The inlet 15 to cubical bag 17 is equipped with a blood collection set generally designated 20 which is 3,006,342 Patented Oct. 31, 1961 coiled about itself and positioned within the recessed chamber 13. The unattached end of collection set 20 is equipped with a donor needle 21 about which is located a translucent protector sleeve 22 having the open end thereof closed against contamination by means of a cotton plug 23. The outlet fitting 16 is equipped with a removable closure 24 which may be removed to communicate the interior of cubical bag 17 with a blood administration set (not shown).

Interposed between inlet 15 and collection set 20 is a valve structure designated generally by the numeral 25, and which includes a T-shaped plastic fitting 26 having a ball 27 as of stainless steel slidably mounted in the cross-portion of the T. One arm of the T is closed at 28 as by heat sealing, with the other end being open as at 29 and communicating with the interior of collection set 20. Both arms of the T are extensive enough to accommodate ball 27, as is shown in dotted line at 27a and 27b.

In the manufacture of the apparatus just described, a short length of flexible translucent plastic tubing such as polyvinylchloride is employed to make the cross-portion of the T-shaped fitting included within valve 25. This short length of tubing is heat sealed at one end to provide the closed end 28 and is equipped with a lateral branch 30 intermediate the ends thereof as by heat sealing. The heat sealing operation provides an outwardly deformed portion of the tube as at 31 peripheral to tube 30, in effect having an inwardly beveled portion, which serves to ease ball 27 out of the position thereof designated 27a.

Thereafter the length of tubing 30 is secured to a nipple 30a provided integral with cubical container 17. In the illustration given, both fitting 26 and bag 17 are constructed of relatively flexible thermoplastic material such as polyvinylchloride. A more rigid fitting 30b is provided between nipple 30a and branch 30 which aids in stabilizing the assembly during shifting of ball 27. At this point it is possible to charge cubical bag 17 with a small quantity of an anti-coagulant solution merely by attaching the open end 29 of the T-shaped fitting to a source of fluid, and moving the ball 27 to the dotted line position designated 27a in FIGURE 3.- After a suitable amount of anti-coagulant liquid has been introduced into the container, the ball 27 is returned to a position over branch 30. Thereafter, the end 20a of collection set 27 opposite the needle-equipped end is secured within the open end 29 of the T-shaped fitting and can be solvent sealed in place. The ball 27 is then moved to the position 27b and the assembly is sterilized with the protector 22 and cotton plug 23 in place.

The set 20 has therefore not been used as a conduit for introducing the anti-coagulant fluid and further, is sealed from the fluid by means of the ball closure 27. This is believed important since any anti-coagulant liquid that would remain in the set 20 would tend to evaporate more quickly than that in bag 17 and leave residual crystalline material which could serve to obstruct the blood collection. The blood remaining in the collection set after administration may be employed for serology test purposes, and it is important that this residual blood be free of any anti-coagulant so that a clot forms to give the desired clotting time indication.

In the structure presented, an additional desirable result is achieved through the closure of one arm of the T-shaped fitting of valve 25. The ball 27 is large enough as to be in sealing relation with the interior walls of the T-shaped fitting. Movement of the ball toward the closed end in effect compresses the air present therein and provides a pneumatic cushion effective to aid in the return of ball 27 to a seated position. However, during blood collection, the tendency of the ball 27 to return to its seated position is opposed by the blood flowing past t and into nt ne r m co lec ion set .29,- When closing of valve 25 is indicated, positioning of ball 27 in its closed position is achieved by moving it to the position indicated 27b, and the presence of the end 201; of set 20 efiectively serves as a stop for the movement of ball 27. Thereafter, the set 20 can be snipped ofi or other wise cut so that a compact storage unit is achieved. Alternatively, fitting 30a can be equipped with an adaptor which is matable with a corresponding adaptor in branch 30 so that the valve 25 is removable after collection.

When the equipment is to be used in blood administration, the rubber closure 24 is removed from a flangeequipped fitting 32 which is essentially similar to fitting I 3011 except for having an upstanding tubular portion 32a above flange 32b to receive cap or closure 24. Fitting 32 is mounted in a nipple 33'provided integral with bag 17 as by heat sealing. A second, inwardly directed nipple 34, also of thermoplastic material, is heat sealed to bag 17 and is coaxial with nipple 33, thereby providing a directing channel for the insertion of the plug-in connector portion of a blood administration set. The portion 17a of bag 17 within nipples 33 and 34 serves as a rupturable diaphragm, maintaining the blood contents of bag 17 in a sterile condition during storage.

While in the foregoing specification an embodiment of the invention has been illustarted in detail for the purpose of explanation,'it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art will perceive many variations in the details thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A blood collection unit having a collapsible conta ner nd a fle i l b o d inlet tub o ted herewi a valve for closing said tube comprising a T-shaped flow fitting constructed of a resilient plastic material interposed between said tube and said container, one arm of the T-shaped fitting being connected to said tube with the other arm being closed, the leg of the T-shaped fitting being connected to said container, a rigid ball movably positioned in the arms of said T-shaped fitting, a portion of said tube being mounted in said one arm of said fitting and secured therewithin whereby said tube can be cut outwardly of said fitting and said portion remains in said tube as a stop for said ball.

2. In blood collection apparatus, a valve coupling a blood delivery conduit and a blood storage receptacle, said valve comprising an elongated, flexible tubular member closed at one end and coupled at the open end to one end of said conduit, a port in said member intermediate the ends thereof and removably coupled to said receptacle, a rigid ball movably positioned in said tubular member, the coupled ends of said conduits and said member providing a stop for the movement of said ball from the closed end to the open end of said tubular member.

Referenees Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,769,442 Stubbs Nov. 6, 1 956 2,784,716 Broman Mar. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 772,636 Great Britain Apr. 17, 1957 

